Medieval Elixir by Ion on Mixcloud
Hi, Ion here, and what a playlist I have for you today. Probably not what you’re all used to, but under encouragement from the Duke (I’ve been unsure whether to post this music for a while), here it is. I warn you now, it’s a bit of a departure from my last disco-house mix! OK, where to begin….ah yes “Soul”Spektrum….recently I believe an American described soul music to Big Face as “…black people’s sex music…” well, that’s probably debatable in itself ….but what is soul?? I know my soul comes from Blighty, as I guess do most of yours, but what do I hear in all of our mixes….quality music with soul for sure, but I think it’s pretty much American influenced sounds. Where’s Blighty’s soul? Most of my life I’ve been a countryside dweller and while I love the urban influenced soul, there is definitely something to be said for Ye olde English music of the fields, barns, woods and inns. As we all know from experience, the tempo of music which suits urban and rural life and differing climates is very different. So, next time you find yourself sitting in the country, staring at a view or smoking a pipe, I plead with you to give this mix its chance…our true souls must come from our anglo-saxoness right?? I’ve been a folk appreciater for many years now and in this mix I’m hoping to share with you lads something of our true heritage. I’ve steered away from the modern folk of people like Nick Drake and John Martyn (who I’m sure you’re all familiar with), who are themselves fantastic folk writers, and tried to make up my mix from songs that have been passed down over the centuries from one generation to the next. On my playlist are traditional acoustic folk songs, folk rock from the revival in the 60/70s and modern re-tellings from recent times….as with most folk albums, I’m going to give you all a little run down of the songs…..it’s a bit of a ramble I’m afraid so I’ve added it all as a comment so as not to fill up the Duke’s page. Sorry if I’m boring you all a bit, but I kind of feel the effort musicians put into continuing these songs throughout hundreds of years deserves a bit of detail.